The present invention provides a suturing device to minimize interference and obstructions during intricate surgeries. The curled suture device is significantly shorter than traditional suturing kits, by provision of a needle attached to a specially manufactured thread incorporating a stopping mechanism that precedes an angled, semi-rigid portion of thread, followed by a curled portion of thread arranged in a corkscrew configuration. The stopping mechanism halts the movement of the thread as the needle and thread intermediate the needle and stopping mechanism is pulled through the suture point, securing the remainder of the thread for access by the user. The semi-rigid portion of thread is thereby utilized in conjunction with its curled portion of thread, allowing for the user's unabated access to the corkscrew configuration to form a ready-made knot, minimizing interference and obstruction during surgery. The thread may be manufactured to form an additional semi-rigid and curled portion of thread upon creation of a knot.
In laparoscopic surgery or other similar procedures, the healthcare provider may be required to work on the inside of a particular cavity of the body of the patient. In working in this cavity, there may be instruments inserted into the patient to allow the healthcare provider to perform the procedure, such as a camera, instruments holding the cavity open in an appropriate manner, and multiple sutures and associated thread to allow for repair of the interior tissue. Use of these instruments ultimately crowds the healthcare provider's working space, and interferes with a smooth and efficient surgical procedure.
By providing the curled suture device of the present invention, with a specially manufactured thread that allows for a ready-made knot or multiple ready-made knots, the healthcare provider is able to perform the suturing with only one hand, while his or her second hand may secure, for example, the camera utilized in the procedure. Further, by eliminating the need to manually create a knot from standard suturing thread, the thread may be significantly shortened from needle to tip, and thus free up space within the surgical cavity. The angled, semi-rigid portion of the thread and its corresponding curled portion of the thread, in conjunction, centers the suturing area in the appropriate section of the surgical cavity, which allows the healthcare provider to operate within the scope of his or her view within the surgical cavity. The arrangement would also allow for fewer adjustments to the position of the camera, which in turn decreases disruption of both the procedure and physicality of the patient. The stopping mechanism further facilitates these advantages, as it allows for the healthcare provider to more easily create the knot by ensuring the curled section of the suture remains in the appropriate place during the suturing process. Additionally, in allowing for the healthcare provider to control both the suture and sutured tissue with a single hand, the healthcare provider is able to adjust the final suture spot as necessary without additional disruption of the tissue and surgical cavity.
As outlined below, various references provide for curls on suturing thread. However, the prior art does not provide for a stopper mechanism on the thread, nor any angled, semi-rigid portion of the thread, to more effectively suture the desired area when used in conjunction with the curled portion of the thread. The prior art therefore does not effectively aid the healthcare provider in the laparoscopic procedure. The prior art additionally does not contemplate the varied stopper mechanisms that should be taken into account when tailoring the suture device for specific surgical procedures.
For example, U.S. Publ. No. 2009/0216268, published Aug. 27, 2009 by Gideon G. Panter, discloses a suture for facilitating tying of knots that includes a length of suture material fixed to a needle. At least part of the length of the suture material is resiliently biased to a coiled state that is able to be straightened under applied tension but which returns to its coiled state when released. In use, part of the suture material is drawn through a region of tissue so that portions of the suture material lie on opposite ends of the tissue. A knot is then formed in the suture material by passing one of the portions through at least one resiliently-formed coil formed in the other of the portions, and pulling tight the suture material.
This Panter suture discusses the use of a coiled thread to assist in the creation of a knot, but does not provide for a stopper mechanism on the thread, nor any angled, semi-rigid portion of thread that may be used in conjunction with the provided coil. Such a configuration would be necessary to create the knot in the appropriate spot of the suturing device, and would also assist the healthcare provider in pulling the tissue regions together without disruption when suturing.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,454,834, issued Oct. 3, 1995 to Manfred Boebel et al., discloses a surgical suture material provided with a thread and, in some cases, a needle to allow formation of a knot with the greatest possible security while expending little effort, even in situations where space is limited—for example, during an endoscopic operation. The suture material has at least one inherently stable coil, loop, or similar preformed featured in at least one initial preformed section of its length. Another section of the thread or an end of the thread can be threaded or guided through this preformed feature for the purpose of forming a loop and/or knot. The preformed section can take the form of a preformed feature with an approximately spiral shape, for example.
However, this Boebel patent, like the above-disclosed Panter suture, does not provide for a stopper mechanism on the thread nor any angled, semi-rigid portion of thread that may be used in conjunction with the provided coils for effective suturing. Further, the Boebel patent requires multiple preformed sections (i.e., coils) of thread, present concurrently with one another, which simply serves to further crowd the suturing space instead of simplifying and streamlining the suturing process, as is intended by the present invention.
There is accordingly a need for a curled suture device that aids in reducing interference during a surgical procedure by provision of a specially manufactured suturing thread providing a ready-made knot or multiple ready-made knots, incorporating an angled, semi-rigid portion of the thread and a corresponding curled portion of the thread, and which is in part further facilitated by a stopping mechanism in the thread that aids in the creation of the knot by securing the ready-made knot(s) in the appropriate area during the procedure. In allowing for the healthcare provider to suture the appropriate tissue with only one hand, the healthcare provider may also easily adjust the location of the suture and upcoming knot within the surgical cavity, which allows for reduced interference within the surgical cavity.